tennis team

New Chapter Press announced the publication of the book “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis” – a guidebook for competing in the U.S. Tennis Association League Tennis program or any team tennis competition.

Written by Tony Serksnis of Mountain View, Calif., who has more than 25 years of competing and 15 years of captaining tennis teams in USTA League Tennis play, A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis, is an engaging tutorial that explains the ins and outs of being on a tennis team and provides a blueprint for managing and competing within the team structure. The book also provides strategies, concepts and tips on everything from pre-match preparations to maintaining team chemistry. This is not a book on the “how to” of tennis strokes or play, but rather a blueprint for a team to operate effectively towards their goals. The book is a paperback that retails for $14.99.

Serksnis is a 25-year veteran of United States Tennis Association (USTA) League Tennis play and has participated on 53 different USTA League Tennis teams, playing in 343 total matches in 36 total leagues (Adult, Senior, Mixed) and has served as captain or co-captain of 15 league tennis teams. Serksnis began playing USTA League Tennis in 1985 as a 3.5-rated player and in 2009, at the age of 63, earned a 4.5 NTRP rating, making him one of the oldest players to ever be moved from a 4.0 to a 4.5 rating. A resident of Mountain View, Calif., he also serves as the President of the Mountain View Tennis Club.

“I am very proud to share my 25-years of experiences as a player, captain and astute observer of the USTA League Tennis program in this book,” said Serksnis. “A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis allows participants of any level of play to understand what USTA League Tennis is all about. Whether you are new to USTA League Tennis, a seasoned-veteran, or a participant in any other type of team tennis, the book will be an excellent tool for how to get the most out of personally helping the team to achieve its goals, growing your own game and maximize your individual experience.”

USTA League Tennis, the country’s largest recreational tennis league, has more than 330,000 players nationwide competing in match play, meeting new people and enjoying the camaraderie of teammates in one of four national divisions (Adult, Senior, Super Senior and Mixed Doubles). Play is based on the NTRP rating system so players will play with and against players of similar ability age 18 and older. USTA League Tennis also offers players a chance to advance from local play to USTA League National Championship events.

A Player’s Guide To USTA League Tennis is published by New Chapter Press – also the publisher of Tennis Made Easy by Kelly Gunterman, Roger Federer: Quest for Perfection by Rene Stauffer (www.RogerFedererBook.com), The Bud Collins History of Tennis by Bud Collins, The Education of a Tennis Player by Rod Laver with Bud Collins, Acing Depression: A Tennis Champion’s Toughest Match by Cliff Richey and Hilaire Richey Kallendorf (www.CliffRicheyBook.com), Boycott: Stolen Dreams of the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games by Tom Caraccioli and Jerry Caraccioli (www.Boycott1980.com), The Lennon Prophecy by Joe Niezgoda (www.TheLennonProphecy.com), Bone Appetit, Gourmet Cooking For Your Dog by Susan Anson, The Rules of Neighborhood Poker According to Hoyle by Stewart Wolpin, People’s Choice Cancun – Travel Survey Guidebook by Eric Rabinowitz and Weekend Warriors: The Men of Professional Lacrosse by Jack McDermott, among others. Founded in 1987, New Chapter Press is an independent publisher of books and part of the Independent Publishers Group. More information can be found at www.NewChapterMedia.com.

While the U.S. Tennis Association prepares to choose and name a new U.S. Davis Cup captain to replace Patrick McEnroe, it is interesting to look back 11 years at the start of the U.S. captaincy of Patrick’s older brother John. Arguably the greatest American Davis Cupper in the history of the competition, John McEnroe was named by the USTA to replace Tom Gullikson as U.S. captain during the 1999 U.S. Open (incidentally, the press conference occurred on Gullikson’s 48th birthday).

Following his US Open press conference where he was officially introduced as the skipper of America’s tennis team, McEnroe’s next public appearance as U.S. captain came a month later when the draw for the 2000 competition was made on October 7, 1999.

The following is what took place, as documented in Randy Walker’s book “ON THIS DAY IN TENNIS HISTORY” ($19.95, New Chapter Press, www.TennisHistoryBook.com) on the afternoon of October 7, 1999.

1999 – Less than one month after being named captain of th

e U.S. Davis Cup team and John McEnroe creates his first international incident as the United States is drawn to play an away match against the African nation of Zimbabwe in the first round the 2000 Davis Cup. Speaking to reporters at a U.S. Tennis Association organized event at the ESPN Zone in New York City, McEnroe says of the away match against Zimbabwe, “I am sure that word is seeping out that our worse case scenario has just taken place. We need like 27 shots or something to go down there.” After meeting with reporters, McEnroe takes questions from fans at the theme restaurant and is asked what surface he expects the match to be on. Responds McEnroe, “That is their choice. They are going to try to pick a surface that they feel they have the best chance of beating us on which will probably be cow dung …” The following day, “Page Six” the famous gossip column in the New York Post reports the Zimbabwean government’s outrage over McEnroe’s comments. “This is disparaging,” Immanuel Gumbo, attache at the Zimbabwe mission to the UN tells Page Six. “When we beat Australia last year we didn’t play on a cow dung court. We admire Mr. McEnroe for his gifts but you have to wonder what must go on inside his head.”

With the current situation that is ongoing in Zimbabwe, under the tyrannical rule of President Robert Mugabe, one can say that insulting the Mugabe government would not be considered such a sin.

McEnroe and the U.S. team were able to barely edge Zimbabwe 3-2 with Davis Cup rookie Chris Woodruff winning the fifth-and-decisive rubber from Wayne Black. After another 3-2 knee-knocker win in Los Angeles over the Czech Republic, the U.S. was shut-out by Spain 5-0 in the semifinals in Santander, Spain. McEnroe was not able to convince Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras to step up and play in the post-Wimbledon clay-court semifinal against Spain and resigned as the U.S. captain later in the year, paving the way for his younger brother Patrick to assume the helm and serve as U.S. captain for 10 years.